Images are often used to convey information, but often the image alone does not contain all the desired information. Image annotation is the process of adding additional information the image for such uses as enhanced image enjoyment, reminders of the people or places in the image, industry applications, education, classification, and other imaging utilization areas that can benefit from incorporating additional information.
While annotation can be added anytime through a variety of methods, it is often desirable to provide for annotation at the time of picture taking. The desired features of annotation include a wide range of annotation data, ease of use and the function must not interfere with the picture taking process. For a lower cost camera, the addition of the annotation feature must come at a low incremental cost.
Another issue is the amount of storage space available. In the Advanced Photo System (APS) the film is coated with a magnetic layer, allowing data recording on the film. Since there is a limited amount of data space, the specification has designated "select title" codes, so only the code is stored on the film. At the photofinisher, the codes are read and looked up on the predefined table and a title corresponding to the code is printed on the back or front of the image. There are various data entry methods known in the art. U.S. Pat. No. 5,155,513 describes a system using a limited number of annotations to make it easy to select a predefined text string to be added to the negative record. U.S. Pat. No. 4,705,372 discloses one implementation of an alphanumeric keypad to enter data. Some of the current APS cameras that incorporate this feature require the user to program the title codes from a list, much like setting the day/date clock. These entry means either require a display for feedback, to show the user which annotation has been selected, or are fixed in the annotations available. A limited number of titles becomes even more of an issue if new titles are defined. The display in many cameras only shows the title and language code, with no indication of the title data itself. The ones that do have the title data require a fully addressable display (bitmapped), such as a dot matrix LCD.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,827,347 (hereafter referred to as "Bell") teaches a proofing feature for a camera that would recall images. However, it did not supply any means of actually placing annotation data onto the image.